What Are The Four Professional Asbestos Removal Methods?

The asbestos is still there: it is very likely that it will still be present on the roof, on the walls, on the brake pads of the car, on the tiles, on the stove in the kitchen or in the furnace of the factory. It is still a material that is used very frequently in developing countries.  The sad reality is that our archives are replete with tragic stories of affiliated members and their families who have suffered terrible illness or have died as a result of exposure to asbestos in the workplace.

To respond to this scourge, regulations are governing the use, exposure, and professional asbestos removal asbestos methods in many countries. These legislative advances have been achieved in large part thanks to the work done by the unions on behalf of the victims. There are four generally accepted Professional asbestos removal methods to get rid of asbestos, which are as follows:

Removing the Material That Contains Asbestos 

In all cases, this is the recommended Professional asbestos removal solution. It is the only way to guarantee that the danger is eliminated. Rigorous procedures for asbestos removal must be followed and applied by avoiding additional exposure, which means that careful planning must be done by paying close attention to the education of all workers and supervisors and choosing carefully the replacement materials.

Coating or Sealing of Material Containing Asbestos through Professional asbestos removal method

When coating or impregnating the asbestos-containing material with a binder, the fibers must be immobilized, thus reducing their detachment. However, the danger remains, because the binder will deteriorate with time, and it is possible to work with the material (cutting, polishing, repairs, etc.), causing potential fiber detachment. The coating should be considered a temporary protection measure, in order to definitively eliminate the asbestos-containing material at some appropriate future date.

Closing the Material Containing Asbestos 

If there is no possibility of removing or coating the material within a reasonable time, the next option is to separate the asbestos material from the rest of the workplace, using some type of fixed barrier. Enclosing the material is not a control measure: it should be accepted only as a way to temporarily protect the workers until the asbestos can be definitively removed.

Asbestos Management Plan 

If it is not possible to immediately remove the asbestos-containing material in its entirety and safely, a management plan is required. If any material containing asbestos remains in the workplace, even if it is coated or enclosed, it is necessary to establish a permanent system to:

• Clearly identify the exact places where these materials are found, where people can be exposed to them;

• Inform people about what they should do if they have to work in or near these places;

• Review the material frequently to identify any changes that may occur;

• Formulate, as soon as possible, a strategy to completely eliminate the material.

Remember that in many jurisdictions, by law or by a collective bargaining agreement, workers have the right (and, in some cases, the obligation) to refuse any hazardous work. If you are in this situation, and you believe that the work endangers you or your co-workers, do not do that work. Do not let them bury your rights with you! Instead, ask the waste management and asbestos removal company like Axiom Environmental Solutions for the professional asbestos removal from your surroundings.